Classical Music, Conflict, and Identity in the Contemporary Novel

Research English At Durham

When we listen to classical music, some of us might think we hear a story in the melody - but others will not. Some of us might know about the life of the composer and project their biography onto the piece – but others will listen with ears unbiased by context. The problem is that meaning doesn’t actually live anywhere that can be pinpointed in a particular sound or melody. Novels, on the other hand, tell us a story both about the characters within the text, and the music they listen to. So what happens when we read about music in their fiction? Can novels also help us to imagine the story of a tune? Does it change our interpretation of the novel if we already know the song being referred to and ‘hear’ it in our mind as we read? These are difficult and perhaps ultimately unanswerable questions, but Katie Harling-Lee invites you to try in this composition of words and music.

Listeners are advised that this podcast includes some discussion of conflict and violence. Due to copyright restrictions, we’re unable to integrate some of the music directly in the podcast and the talk has been edited accordingly; however, you can listen to the relevant extracts, which will be indicated at the appropriate time in the talk.

1. Shostakovich, Symphony Number 5, Movement 1 (00:09-01:22)
2. Shostakovich, Symphony Number 5, Movement 3 (00:06-01:22)
3. Shostakovich, Symphony Number 5, Movement 4 opening extract (00:09-01:22)
4. Shostakovich, Symphony Number 5, Movement 4 closing extract (09:25-10:52)

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